1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to toys, and more particularly to water toys that can be ridden by a person along the surface, or just below the surface, of a large body of water, such as a swimming pool or lake.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Water toys of various types have been in common usage for many years at pools, lakes and beaches. The most common type of water toys include the mattress shaped floats, the toroidial or donut shaped floats, and the floats that are shaped to resemble an animal. Some problems encountered with such floats include that they are intrinsically unstable (unless they are made very large) and that they are not very versatile in use.
In U.S. Pat. No. 4,073,397, E. E. Snodgrass describes a duck shaped container which, when emptied, can be used as a duck decoy or as a toy. Snodgrass' device is of the float type described above, and is subject to the previously described disadvantages.
C. H. Bramson, in U.S. Pat. No. 3,254,441, teaches a water toy made from a flexible, waterproof material formed into a long, animal shaped tube having an open tail end and a closed forward end. When the tube is squeezed, water is jetted out of the open tail end to propel the water toy forwardly. While Bramson's invention appears to be functional for its desired purpose, it again appears that it is not very versatile in use due to its single preferred mode of operation.
D. A. Pagani, in British Pat. No. 1,451,898, discloses a toy comprising a hollow, egg shaped figure provided with a weighted bottom to provide stability. Pagani's invention does not appear to be well suited for use as a riding toy, either in the water or on dry land.
In short, the prior art does not appear to have addressed the need for a Water Toy that is of an intrinsically stable design, and one which has adjustable floating characteristics to add versatility to the toy's uses.